This invention relates to a method for producing heat pipe units for heat exchangers and the like.
Heat exchangers usually have a bundle of heat pipes each containing a working fluid which, in case of an air conditioner, exchanges heat with intake and exhaust air through generation of latent heat of evaporation and condensation according to the principles well known in the art. Such heat pipes are normally carried in support plates or a baffle plate which divides the pipes into two separate sections respectively in contact with the two fluids between which the heat is to be transferred. When the heat pipes are straight in shape and without fins, it is relatively easy to mount a plate thereon to serve as a support plate or a cross baffle. However, the mounting of the plate or plates becomes very difficult and sometimes almost impossible with heat pipes carrying fins on their circumferences or with heat pipes of more complicate shapes, for example, heat pipes of helical, spiral, serpentine or meandering shapes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing without difficulty heat pipe units having a heat pipe or a bundle of heat pipes carried in a plate-like cross-structure, to serve as a support plate, mounting plate or baffle.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a method for molding a plate-like cross-structure on a heat pipe or a bundle of heat pipes within a molding box in a facilitated manner irrespective of the shape of heat pipe or pipes.